Fourteen Year Old Jessica Guo Finishes Top 16 at the 2019 Senior World Fencing Championships

It was another outstanding day at the 2019 Senior World Fencing Championships in Budapest. Today featured the final rounds for Women’s Foil and Men’s Epee. Canada had four athletes in competition, three in women’s foil and one in men’s epee.

The highlight of the day was 14 year old Jessica Zi Jia Guo’s top 16 result in her first Senior World Championships. This was Guo’s first eligible season to compete at the Senior level. Fresh off her silver medal at the 2019 Senior Pan American Fencing Championships in her hometown of Toronto, Guo came into the Senior World Championships ranked 17th in the senior world rankings after a strong World Cup season.

Guo faced Yara Elsharkawy from Egypt in the 64’s and won 15-7. She then fenced USA’s Nzinga Prescod in the 32’s and won 15-12 to advance to the top 16’s. Guo’s competitor in the 16’s was Inna Deriglazova from Russia, 29 years of age and ranked number one in the world. Guo came from a 4-0 deficit at the start to end up tied 6-6 going into the second round, but Deriglazova managed to rally and pulled ahead to take the bout by a final score of 15-8. Deriglazova went on to take gold in the event. Guo finished in 13th place overall.

Canada had two other foilists in the top 64. Eleanor Harvey (Hamilton, ON) and Kelleigh Ryan (Ottawa, ON) both lost close bouts by one point to competitors from China and finished ranked 35th and 45th respectively. Marc-Antoine Blais-Belanger was Canada’s men’s epee athlete who advanced to the 64’s and he finished ranked 54th after a 15-7 loss to Max Heinzer from Switzerland, ranked 15th in the world.

Tomorrow features the last final Individual rounds for Women’s Sabre and Men’s Foil. Canadians qualified for the final rounds include Gabriella Page (Blainville, QC) in women’s sabre and Maximilien Van Haaster (Montreal, QC), Eli Schenkel and Blake Broszus who both live in the US, in men’s foil. Team competitions will get underway Sunday and Monday to conclude the 2019 Senior World Championships.